Distinct effects of acute versus chronic corticosterone exposure on Zebra finch responses to West Nile virus

Summary statement Stress hormones affect immune responses, behaviour and other host traits that can influence how individual hosts contribute to disease cycles (i.e. competence). We found that differences in the duration of experimental elevations of one hormone, corticosterone, had very different effects on zebra finch responses to West Nile virus. Chronic elevations enabled birds to become infectious and more tolerant of WNV whereas birds experiencing acute elevations generally resembled untreated controls.